Documentary – International / Joint UK Premiere

Showing @ Filmhouse 2, Sun 19 June @ 14:00

Bryan Mason, Sophie Hyde/Australia/2011/79 min/TBC

The sudden death of leading contemporary dancer and choreographer Tanya Liedtke in a car accident in 2007 forms the starting point for Life in Movement, a documentary by Bryan Mason and Sophie Hyde which brings Liedtke’s work and talent to a new audience.

Beginning in 2009, Life in Movement follows some of Liedtke’s partner and contemporaries as they tour two of her most famous works, Twelfth Floor and Construct in her honour around the world.

The loss of a loved one, no matter what the circumstances, is unquantifiable; life stands still, the world pauses on its axis, and the grief of bereavement descends like a dark, suffocating veil. However, when the death is unexpected and cuts short a life filled with talent, that sense of loss can be terrifying. But after the shock of her death, it emerges that the purpose of Life in Movement is to portray a message of hope. Through stills, rehearsal footage and discussions with friends, family and collaborators, Liedtke’s life, career, passions and character are stripped down and retold in order to portray the mind, drive and potential of this dazzling and passionate choreographer. While she is gone, her work remains, and so the documentary focuses on the group’s efforts to keep her work and legacy alive through the restaging of her work. While this isn’t an easy task, the focus of the group, and therefore the film, is one of keeping Liedtke’s voice at the forefront of contemporary choreography. Touching, sensitive and also affectionate, Life in Movement is a faithful film that not only encapsulates the personality of the woman behind the work, but also chooses not to wallow in her death, and instead celebrate her life.